CollabCamb

At the end of August, which now seems like a distant memory, I attended a meeting hosted by Collaboration Cambodia, an ambitious group of expats and locals that get together to discuss prevalent topics in the NGO community. The past two meetings have centered around the topic of responsible volunteering, encompassing a variety of subtopics including vetting volunteers, voluntourism, and what to do with volunteers once their boots hit the ground. Today we discussed the vetting process, and I was able to offer my insights into the extremely unique manner in which The Global Child acquires its volunteers.

After listening to the representatives from local NGOs speak, I realized that TGC is blessed to have the Minerva Fellowship as a core component if its operation. Many NGOs have to select volunteers based on rigorous, complicated, and frankly uncertain hiring processes that may result in a volunteer whose expectations are widely out of sync with the organization's. With the Minerva Fellowship however, TGC bears none of the burden of selection, as this is handled 100% by Union College. Before news of the next pair of volunteers even reaches TGC, the staff and students know with full confidence they will be receiving near-perfect candidates for the role, thanks to the amazing intuition of Tom McEvoy and the fellowship selection committee. It is this intuition that led to my placement in Cambodia! 

Another unique aspect of the Minerva Fellowship, is that Union College bears all of the volunteers' expenses, which is largely unheard of in the NGO community. I was very excited to share TGC's unique advantage in the volunteer selection process, and when it was time to break out into smaller groups during today's meeting, I found myself impatiently waiting through constant rambling of problems without solutions. I felt as though I had a viable solution, so I wanted to share it before I ran out of time. 

When it came to be my turn to speak, my thoughts barely escaped my mouth before it was time to rejoin into one large group for a summary of what was discussed. But in that short time, I learned my group's moderator is from Saratoga, NY. The power of the common thread is not to be taken lightly, as I felt an instant connection with the moderator and we would later get drinks together with the rest of the meeting organizers, but I will get to that later. 

After my group moderator summarized what we talked about, he made sure to point me out and let everyone know that they could talk to me about TGC and its unique vetting process. As I was about to get another donut (or what seemed to be a donut) from the back of the room,  a woman approached me with questions about Union College and the fellowship. Before I knew it, at least five people were huddled around me, listening in to the insights I had to offer. It felt empowering to share valuable knowledge to people looking for solutions to an extremely complex problem, and I hope I can continue to provide further value in the future. 

After the conference room emptied out, I went to approach my new friend from Saratoga and just like that, a small group of us were headed to a Mexican Restaurant to discuss how the meeting went. This is where I met the main facilitator; a retired principal and teacher from Rochester, NY, who at one point owned a bar in Nicaragua. He taught me about the inefficiencies of the Cambodian trash removal system, a Bier garden that gives you back massages as you're trying to take a piss, and even the inner workings of the prison system. I can't say too much, or else I may end up in one... 

I even met a former Peace Corps volunteer, and was able to talk to her about her experiences living with a host family in Cambodia. I must say the Peace Corps sounds like the Minerva Fellowship on crack. The contract is for 2 years as opposed to 9 months, and the missions are typically much harder and the sense of purpose can sometimes be nonexistent, which can often be the hardest part about such an experience.  I continued to have drinks with the facilitator long after everyone else had left, and he shared stories of someone he knew that was featured on Shark Tank, his maneuvering through the 2008 financial crisis, and even when Quentin Tarantino walked into a restaurant he worked at, entourage in tow. Apparently he's pretty damn tall. 

One of the last things I learned was that the facilitator is a piano player, which naturally led me to mention my drumming prowess. His immediate reaction was to ask me if I wanted a gig, and I expressed both my interest and concern, as I have not honed the ability to play alongside other musicians. That being said, maybe the band will happen after all!